Celia Hart's blog about what's going on in and around her studio.
Art, printmaking, inspirations, gardening, vegetables, hens, landscapes, wild flowers, East Anglia, adventure, travel.

Friday, 12 October 2007

An intruder in the vegetable garden

There are signs that an intruder has been walking over the raised beds in the vegetable garden. Neat triangular hoofprints.


The studio assistant was keen to show me that her paws could not have made the prints - she has been ruled out of the inquiry.


This is the main suspect.
Posted by Celia Hart on Friday, October 12, 2007
Labels: ,

18 comments:

  1. Joanna12 October 2007 at 23:46

    Well, if it's deer, it's grim, and if it's muntjac that's the worst of all. We have them occasionally, and they are the worst of all the deer that visit here ... make sure you protect your roses, because that is prime deer food.

    Here's something worth trying: hang human hair on any plant you want to protect (the easiest way to do that is to put it into sections of laddered tights). Orange peel also. Or little strips of tinfoil. The trouble with all this, as my husband points out, is that the garden begins to look like a gypsy encampment. But at least the roses are intact.

    GOOD LUCK!

    Joanna
    joannasfood.blogspot.com

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  2. Wendy13 October 2007 at 07:47

    I've never heard of this deer before. Such beautifully delicate features. For your sake, I hope it doesn't have a big appetite or a taste for purple peas. ;)

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  3. Matron13 October 2007 at 09:35

    Cats are very clever.. are you sure they haven't made themselves little booties just to fool you?

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  4. Cottage Smallholder13 October 2007 at 09:43

    Oh poor you! Muntjac are a menace.

    A friend of mine hit one on the road. He hung it for a few days and made a wonderful slow cooked casserole with the meat. They are not supposed to have tasty meat but this was delicious.

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  5. Anonymous13 October 2007 at 14:29

    Very funny post Celia. I love the paw suspects. Are you sure its not an obese peacock?
    PS I live in London

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  6. Anonymous14 October 2007 at 05:00

    Those little deer are darling but your garden is in real jeopardy!

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  7. Celia Hart14 October 2007 at 18:40

    Thanks for the advice Joanna - hope s/he doesn't become a regular visiter and bring her/his friends.

    Hi Wendy - they escaped (were released?) from Woburn in Bedfordshire less than a hundred years ago - and now they seem to be everywhere! Perhaps not in Scotland (yet!)

    Hi Matron - you're on to something there - Puss-in-Boots!

    Hi CS - I'm sure muntjac casserole would be delicious!

    Hi GBVC - :)

    Hi Becca - most of the garden is inside a high brick wall, but the veg garden is on a strip of land outside the wall and alongside a brook. When the water level is low the muntjac can easily cross over and get into the garden, and autumn seems to be a favourite time of year. The deer population seems to be increasing around here - we'll have to be on guard!

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  8. Anonymous14 October 2007 at 20:45

    Those paws do look very naughty though don't they! :)

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  9. Unknown14 October 2007 at 22:02

    You surprised us with the deer...thought for sure it was one of you studio assistants!!!

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  10. Anonymous14 October 2007 at 22:03

    Oop! Last comment was me, not Thomas!

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  11. Celia Hart15 October 2007 at 09:07

    Hi Lucy - very perceptive comment, "Miss Chief" may look cute but she is just thinking up her next dastardly scheme!

    Hi Meg - now who's in disguise!

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  12. Lucy @ Smallest Smallholding15 October 2007 at 10:33

    Incidentally I live very close to Woburn and see muntjac all the time, not surprisingly. They are quite odd looking when you see the 'teeth', not the most beautiful of all the different breeds but certainly still adorable in my book.

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  13. Anonymous15 October 2007 at 16:02

    Like Lucy, I live near Woburn too so see these creatures very frequently. I hope you don't get invaded too frequently they can really cause damage in a garden.

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  14. kate15 October 2007 at 23:05

    I thought that perhaps the intruder was a dog and that's why your studio assistant was so keen to let you know that the paws were not here.

    This is a new kind of deer to me ... it is beautiful, but not exactly what you want munching on your veggies.

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  15. Celia Hart16 October 2007 at 16:23

    Hi Lucy and Toffeeapple - I wonder how many muntjac there are living wild in England?

    Hi Kate - it's easy to mistake a muntjac for a large labrador dog when you see one from a distance.

    Celia

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  16. Anonymous17 October 2007 at 09:42

    Hi, Magic Cochin,
    Apparently they are to be seen as far North as the Humber, so quite a number in the whole of the British Isles.

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  17. Anonymous23 October 2007 at 09:36

    Time for extra high fencing?!

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  18. admin15 February 2008 at 10:00

    As an adagium says, that cats can learn tricks, they just sometimes choose not to;)
    meaouwy,
    -eri-
    Is there any relation between make up and pretty cats? Have your say in http://felinesophy.blogspot.com

    ReplyDelete

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